Baby Panther, leopard with flak

[AndyArgent]

This is a blog that i am starting today of the baby panther but with the turret removed and a flak 43 gun placed on top instead.

[spud]

sweet looking forward to seeing this

[`Boots`]

Nice one Andy................look forward to it fella ;D

[Deleted]

A blog from Bodge is always worth watching.....Plus I voted for this! ;D

[armorguy]

Very interesting kit ! I'm tuned !

[stevereid]

I'm in Andy!

I really enjoy the "What-If" genre.

Steve

[robbo]

Lets go then Andy

[AndyArgent]

Cheers you fellas. Right then, i got loads done tonight. More modelling than i have done in months.
This kit so far is a real pleasure. All the details are nice and crisp and i think i can do alot of this out of the box on the hull.
First of it was the running gear to the hull


The front sections to the hull need a lip to be removed to fit properley. This however didnt stop me glueing them on the wrong sides,DUUUUURRRR.


The suspension system is just like the panther and is easy to install.

[AndyArgent]

You can see in the pic above the glue marks on the sections at the front where i had to remove and replace in the correct position. This will be an easy fix as this section will have a dirt build up in that area.

[TRM]

LQQY Andy, she has legs!!! Nice fix too!!! Keep it rolling!!

[AndyArgent]

Comparing the size to a panther you can see how dinky this thing is


Moving to the rear of the vehicle the exhaughts went on no probs.
A small amount of PE on the rear ie the holding straps for the rear stowage bins and brackets for the rear light.

[AndyArgent]

The top of the hull now
Fan covers first



Mesh screens to the deck conclude what i have done today, I am happy with my progress tonight as i usually sit in the model room and browse about for an hour or so and do nothing then vegitate on the internet. Hopefully get some more done tomorrow ,cheers guys.
Andy doing a full blog? whatever next.

[AndyArgent]

[spud]

wow nice progress, was this a real tank,?

[AndyArgent]

I think there was one completed, definately a completed hull and the turret is of the six wheeled armoured car they had called the puma.

[tonylee]

I just wonder how this little guy would've performed in the field?

Waiting
Tony

[wouter]

Nice start Bodge, looks great!

Never realized that this baby had the cover for the snorkel as well ^^

Cheers

[johnt]

Hi Bodge, this does look like a real panther only dinky sized! Nice progress!

Cheers
JT

[AndyArgent]

Cheers for lookin in guys,.
Right done a bit more on this today.This kit has the last type rear stowage bins included on it like the late panther G that is in bovington. Instead of a criscross lovre in the bin it has straight lines in an upward fashion


I have decided to replace the kit part with a homemade one out of tin foil so i can get some authentic damage to it. I cut out a square piece of foil and placed it over the kit part and then with the end of a paintbrush i scribed the detail beneath in the foil. The a bit of carefull cutting and bending the bin was achieved.


Next i wanted some damage to the bin. This was done by simply denting it with a sharp object




Next i worked the hobby knife in to it and twisted it to reprecent two small arms fire holes.



You may notice that i have dented in the mesh grills on the rear deck as this is normal from carrying things and foot traffic. Look on real vehicles at museums and the screens are well beaten up in most cases. Its a little touch but just one that adds to the realism.
Next i made a headlight bracket for a central location as i may not use the fenders on the front which is where they are normally located.


May get some more in later ,Cheers.

[spud]

thats fairly hefty tin foil.. and looks Way better.

[AndyArgent]

Its an old cooking tin from an oven meal,costs about £3.00 with a free meal thrown in.

[Mence]

Great progress Bodge, looks really neat. Like the compact appearance of this, wonder if it would have been relatively quick due to its small size

[`Boots`]

Cor ya whizzed out the blocks with this one matey............good job so far Andy..............very clean and tidy indeed ;D ;D

[AndyArgent]

cheers for tagging along guys.

[Deleted]

Quick work Andy....Looking good so far,mate!

[AndyArgent]

Cheers Chris and you jackwagon glad you stopped by.

[tolgadogruer]

Great job Bodge,very nice detailing.It looks nice now and will be a beauty when it is finished..

[martyncrowther]

Lovely work Bodge!